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Snug Harbor Spirit

 

Being fortunate enough to stay in New York over the winter, I have been visiting some of your ordinary NY tourist destinations, and some not so ordinary. A few weeks ago, after learning the there was a free ferry between lower Manhattan and Staten Island, I decided to hitch a ride. Not only would it offer me the chance to get that money shot of the Statue of Liberty, but it would also enable me to check out Staten Island and say that I've been there.

Snug Harbor Spirit 1

Unsure of what to do when arriving at Staten Island, I pulled out my phone while waiting at the ferry terminal, and started researching potential attractions. One which was easily accessible on foot was the Staten Island museum. As I happened to discover though, there are actually two buildings called the Staten Island Museum, each run by the same organisation. One is only a couple of blocks from the St George ferry terminal, and the other is at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanic Gardens, around a 20 minute walk along the terrace. Unaware of this fact at the time, I was being directed by the map on my phone to the latter of these two. It didn't bother me though; upon arriving at Snug Harbor, I found that there was far more to see and do than I would have had the chance to experience staying within a small radius of the ferry terminal.

Inside the museum, I was alone within the exhibit rooms for the most part. The only exceptions to this were in the first two rooms, where there were some professional photographers taking shots of the items on display. As I made my way around the exhibits, I consistently experienced the eerie feeling that I was being watched. I tried to chalk this down to paranoia, and softly hummed some hymns to myself to calm my nerves. At one point, I was freaked out by the sound of footsteps behind me, but was relieved to learn that they were just coming from a security guard patrolling the hall between exhibits.

Snug Harbor Spirit 2

Snug Harbor Spirit 3

Throughout my wanderings around the rest of Snug Harbor's grounds and gardens, the same eerie feeling continued to plague me. Despite this, I still had a fantastic time. As I walked the grounds I ran into a museum staff member who I had met earlier and we had a brief discussion; she was returning to the museum after going out to buy herself a cup of tea. "Beautiful yet haunting" was how I described the center's grounds to her. I couldn't have known at the time how apt my description was.

A few days later, I was transferring all of my photos from my stay in New York up until that point onto my computer. Friends back home had encouraged me to take lots of pictures and upload them to Facebook so that I could share my adventures with them. While sifting through the photos to decide which ones to upload, one particular shot caught my eye. It was a photo which I had taken at the entrance to the Snug Harbor Cultural Center upon first arriving at the site. What I must have initially brushed off as lens flare or mist began to strike me as having much more of a defined shape - that of a hooded robe or cloak, to be more precise. I messaged my best friend (who is in New York with me, and staying in the same apartment building). "I think I've caught an apparition on camera", I told him.

My friend and I took a closer look at the photo in his room, and soon we both began to also spot a face in the "mist" of the apparition. I have uploaded the original photo, taken with an iPhone camera. The face is positioned from the first pillar on the left of the building to the second pillar. It may be difficult to spot at first. I have some friends who have seen it who have spotted the figure and face instantly, some who have had to look at the photo for a while before seeing it, and some who cannot see it at all and conclude it to be pareidolia. I have also uploaded two other versions of the same photo - the first zooms in on the apparition in the original photo, while the second is the same zoomed in shot, but with one red circle showing where I see the face and an inner red circle encompassing what I see to be a perfectly formed eye which contrasts with the building behind (which is the feature which I personally feel rules out pareidolia on my part).

Further research on the Snug Harbor site since spotting the figure in my photo has revealed to me that the location is famously haunted by a number of spirits (which was a nice find for me, as it backed up what I had experienced there)! The crew of Ghost Hunters have even been to the site and recorded EVPs.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Phantom_0, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Martin (602 posts) mod
 
8 years ago (2016-12-30)
Note: some new photos provided by the author have been published.
pjs1977 (2 stories) (48 posts)
 
8 years ago (2016-12-21)
I was in snug harbor definitely a eerie and dark place lol. I am going back 8 years ago too.
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+5
8 years ago (2016-12-16)
I've had that feeling strolling around museums on my own as well - in a way, I kind of love it... As though as you look into the cases of historic artifacts... That history is looking right back at you! I won't deny being a bit frightened, though:-) I often wonder if inanimate objects can hold some sort of spiritual charge - I've heard compelling arguments on both sides leaving my personal conclusion in the shape of a question mark. I collect dozens of vintage and antique items and I always wonder when I bring a 'new' item into my home what the repercussions might be. Point of fact, a neighbor saw a ghost peeking out of my kitchen just this past Thanksgiving day... Could it have been attached to an item I brought home? -Maybe, but I drag home so many vintage things every week that it would be next to impossible to pin point which one. I also live next door to a mass grave... Anyway, always nice to see that I'm not the only one who occasionally gets the creeps from a history museum:-)

Can't wait to see the photos!

And STAY WARM up there! I grew up half in Canada - NY might be 'down south' by comparison but that cold is no joke!
Argette (guest)
+1
8 years ago (2016-12-15)
I have never been to Staten Island, but the islands surrounding NYC intrigue me.

I've done some reading about this place. Can't wait to see the photos.
Phantom_0 (1 stories) (3 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2016-12-15)
It's my first time in NY, so I'm just glad to be able to be here at all. As for being here in winter, it's an experience if nothing else!

I sent through the photos for attachment, but they haven't turned up on here yet - just sent them through again on another e-mail confirmation for the publishing of the story. Hopefully they get attached soon. 😁
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
 
8 years ago (2016-12-15)
I'm curious to see the photo.

Also, being in upstate New York in the middle of a blizzard, I'm not entirely sure being in New York in winter is that much worth celebrating. 😆

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